 鲜花( 15)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
Creative Solutions: How'd they do it?
: y( t. Q! g9 T2 {& U pNothing says home like the living room couch
8 R1 B E# d: L1 v v8 s
3 @& R1 A+ M" J' [$ p0 L' k; ^Alexandra Zabjek1 v& h( C# k) p5 G h2 u
The Edmonton Journal
7 }- T5 [7 B" b/ O9 U( Z0 E/ ^1 I$ {/ O. H; ]+ i7 K3 Z' \4 B
Sunday, May 20, 2007
% U2 Z: [1 @8 W. m6 N0 G8 }
" `5 C& e4 `9 b" Y1 w. L$ x% c2 N j
k- i$ Y4 {, H) k! OStudent apartments aren't typically luxurious places, but soaring rents in Edmonton are forcing some students to pare down their living arrangements even more than usual.
- Y% `- X5 V! h$ j9 b
( { f$ B9 p- s eAt Steve Li's one-bedroom apartment near NAIT, the living room is a bedroom for his roommate, Bill Chadwick.
% \& A: y+ q c* k
- ] I. }* g, @Li and Chadwick, both students, split the $600 rent almost evenly -- Li gets the bedroom for $325 per month, while Chadwick pays $275 per month to put his bed in the living room.
r6 ? O2 w0 D- a
2 e& H$ `7 {3 w"I receive approximately $700 per month (in grants) to go to school," says Chadwick, 32. "So when $275 comes into the picture, it works out quite well."
3 d" S9 a \ d5 V$ N/ l0 T& M
After spending time couch-surfing with friends, Chadwick says having a "defined space" is great, even if it isn't a proper bedroom.
5 p; |8 _- i, k5 _# v9 |
: {$ j) }7 q& d4 ASharing a one-bedroom apartment is a common arrangement amongst Chinese students studying in Edmonton, says Li, who has been living in Canada for the past seven years. It's a big change for many of these students, he says.$ _: w3 x" E) n1 I6 O* _
' ]& \; y* l0 o4 r6 v
"The people who can afford to send their kids to Canada to study are quite rich," he says. "(Their) apartments in China are big."9 b6 Q3 T# `8 _. A. P" I
0 Z6 r3 j% k+ |. Z; O; S5 k& U2 QSplitting the rent on a one-bedroom apartment, however, make things much easier for students with limited budgets.
9 ]8 O& p1 F/ s% |+ j2 j" e# T" n$ z$ C" ]% w7 ]7 b
"I wouldn't say (it would be completely) unaffordable, but this way it's much more economical," he says.9 d7 B' |0 V9 U( v/ t) x$ \
6 w. R! z3 l" Q( H
SOMEONE IN THE BASEMENT TO HELP PAY THE MORTGAGE4 ^5 h% c% o. k( x& H7 s+ O
. I! t' R: J4 ^
When Caitlin Crawshaw and her girlfriend bought a bungalow in Bonnie Doon last summer, it wasn't just the location that sold them on the 1950s era house. It was also the basement suite.+ Q; n1 C) X; F- R2 _/ u
) k2 B& H! Z; N/ ?1 W2 Q"It wasn't originally part of our plan," Crawshaw says. "But as soon as we started looking at houses and seeing what the market was, we thought that maybe we should consider it."3 z; o. T" I* h% n8 H* T) Z! j7 C* N
4 v( C O' C& oTheir tenant pays $500 per month for the 750-square-foot suite. The money helps the couple pay down their mortgage more aggressively and provides a cushion in case either loses their job, says Crawshaw.
8 m; `9 M# l q8 k7 P, j. X0 O* h. R2 U4 w1 h) f4 D* B7 W4 E$ }
The arrangement has worked out well, especially because the tenant was already living in the house when they moved in and has proved to be a "fantabulous" tenant who often spends time gardening in the yard or raking leaves, says Crawshaw, 25.0 w2 H- c, r8 P9 T% |) s6 p/ P
+ z8 H" g( ^: I6 ~0 A4 S% {7 ]The downside, however, is the lack of space. The couple and their two cats share about 750-square-feet on the upper floor of the house.# ^& D ?% \% ?: i
5 h, V- {! i3 o$ d: a
"It would be nice to have more space and to have another bathroom," she says.
" L' j4 H# y/ r/ s
" }' D$ E; f" H* v. a9 W' O% ~" O"But it does work out quite well. I don't regret it. But I don't want to do it for more than five years -- I don't think that anyone does."& u! S) g5 U/ R% K' P( H0 y" A4 B
© The Edmonton Journal 2007 |
|
狗仔卡
发表于 2007-5-20 07:27
提升卡
置顶卡
沉默卡
喧嚣卡
变色卡
显身卡
